The Blues: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
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It would be impossible to pack more critical wisdom-or common sense-into a smaller, shapelier package. Oxford University Press; 1 edition August 5, Language: Related Video Shorts 0 Upload your video. Try the Kindle edition and experience these great reading features: Share your thoughts with other customers.
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So this was a great intro for me to so many other styles and versions - Piedmont and Texas in particular. Mar 01, Mike Hill rated it liked it. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. As with all of Oxford's Very Short Introductions, The Blues tells you--with insight, clarity, and wit--everything you need to know to understand this quintessentially American musical genre. Wald is the writer for this format; he's got an argument -- that the blues are an idiom, that it's a commercial music, and that for those fetishists like John Fahey for whom something essential was encountered in the so-called "country blues," the blues was never something they could understand in the first place. He provides a qu Wald is one of the most highly regarded music writers on the scene right now, especially in this subject area - and rightfully so.
The more I learn about the blues, the less I know, at least in comparison to what I thought I knew before. Back in "the day", which for me was the mids up until the mids, my peak fan years ; I was sure about many things. I wouldn't have called myself a blues purist, that title would be relegated to acoustic fans who cursed the day Muddy Waters plugged in his guitar.
I was quite happy with the roots image that the blues enjoyed, but I saw it as something more. It deserved to be appreciated in its own right. To this day, and I still enjoy the music , I will rarely venture into acoustic land, although I appreciate many aspects of it; like Robert Johnson. But back then in "ancient" times I was well aware of the thievery that went along with the blues business, and the music business in general.
There were many similar stories. Then some time passed. Howlin' Wolf published the song in under his real name, Chester Burnett. Dixon helping himself to songwriting credits for something that Mr. Wald has done his homework.
Very Short Introductions
After finishing both books I can rightly say that I now doubt many previously held beliefs. Or, to put it a better way, I am now skeptical. I have to make something quite clear. This is not new in coming. It is the result of being exposed not only to the two aforementioned books; but to hundreds of album liners, articles, and books by other authors; and the music itself.
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I consider the blues to be the most important component in the American musical lexicon. But one thing is certain. It did not pop out of nowhere. It was the synthesis of many things, chief among them the African-American experience.
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But nothing exists in a vacuum, and as Mr. Wald makes clear, "blues people" listened to, and played, everything. What exists from old 78 RPM recordings is only the tip of the iceberg. And, like today, artists are typecast, and are expected to follow the assigned script, at least under a particular pseudonym, as musicians used different names for different record labels, and for different forms of music, if they were able to pull that off.
The important thing to take away is that there will always be a certain amount of "borrowing" that goes on in the arts. Our efforts at copyright control are slipping, especially in this information age, where everything is available with a click.
The Blues: A Very Short Introduction by Elijah Wald
And, when we find out that certain "ownerships" were stolen to begin with, what are we left with? The blues, as defined by Mr. Wald , evolved by word-of-mouth, or songs-by-mouth and instrument, if you will , in areas where the African-American participants would not have been given access to the legal machinery if they had wished to use it. Efforts by African-American musicians and songwriters to obtain and enforce a copyright would have been met with scorn in many areas of the country during the original time of creation.
So they shared openly with one another. One person's verse would be slipped in, improvisation-like , into another person's song. Lines were made up on the spot in performance, and on recordings , never to be used again.
The Blues: A Very Short Introduction
Musicians would play the same song again with differing, but similar , lyrics. And down the road this big mixing bowl of music wound up in the public domain, because of the lack of copyrighting. British non-fiction books Series of non-fiction books Oxford University Press Publications established in Articles lacking reliable references from May All articles lacking reliable references Use British English from January All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from December Use dmy dates from January Views Read Edit View history.
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In the 3rd edition the title has changed to Climate Change. The World Trade Organization. The Great Depression and New Deal. American Political Parties and Elections. I can't imagine a better-constructed brief overview of blues music. And as icing on the cake, the book contains both a useful guide to further reading and a thorough index.
This was a shockingly good overview, clear and concise. One person found this helpful 2 people found this helpful. Short, concise, and thoroughly enjoyable Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. One person found this helpful. Excellent, concise but comprehensive history of "old" blues up to modern pop music. Couldn't put it down. A very important book for someone who knows very little about The Blues. Clear and well-written, the author has opened up a music genre as well as provided an accessible and serious insight the history of the USA I felt enlightened from reading it!
As in the title, the only fault if this book is that it's almost too short. While others have said that it is repetitive and offers nothing new, it's a great book whether viewed as a primer or a "Cliff's Notes" of the blues, and well-written and free of pontification to boot! The book is quite informative to give some introduction about the blues.
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